Abstract
BackgroundThe upsurge in the uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a significant increase in the survival of vertically acquired HIV infected children, many of whom are currently living into adolescence and early adulthood. However little if anything is known of the lived experiences and the challenges faced by HIV positive adolescents in the African context. We set out to investigate psychosocial challenges faced by HIV infected adolescents on the Kenyan coast.MethodsA total of 44 participants (12 HIV-infected adolescents, 7 HIV uninfected adolescents, and 25 key informants) took part in this qualitative study, using individually administered in-depth interviews. A framework approach was used to analyze the data using NVIVO software.ResultsWe observed that the challenges faced by adolescents in rural Kenya could be placed into six major themes: poverty, poor mental and physical health, the lack of a school system that is responsive to their needs, challenges in how to disclose to peers and family members, high levels of stigma in its various forms, and challenges of medical adherence leading to the need for close monitoring.ConclusionIn this African community, vertically acquired HIV-infected adolescents face a complex set of social, economic and medical challenges. Our study points to the urgent need to develop multisectorial intervention support programmes to fully address these challenges.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2854-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The upsurge in the uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a significant increase in the survival of vertically acquired HIV infected children, many of whom are currently living into adolescence and early adulthood [2]
Challenges faced by HIV infected adolescents The following major themes emerged in our discussions with HIV infected and uninfected adolescents and key informants: poverty, poor mental and physical health, poor handling of disclosure, high levels of stigma in its various forms, lack of close clinical follow-up and monitoring to ensure medical adherence, and lack of a school system that is responsive to their needs
We investigated the challenges faced by HIV infected adolescents and their caregivers along the Kenyan coast
Summary
The upsurge in the uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a significant increase in the survival of vertically acquired HIV infected children, many of whom are currently living into adolescence and early adulthood. Little if anything is known of the lived experiences and the challenges faced by HIV positive adolescents in the African context. We set out to investigate psychosocial challenges faced by HIV infected adolescents on the Kenyan coast. The upsurge in the uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a significant increase in the survival of vertically acquired HIV infected children, many of whom are currently living into adolescence and early adulthood [2]. The dramatic increase in life expectancy in this population has Experiences of HIV infected adolescents within the school system have largely been under-investigated in the African context. Understanding the educational experiences of HIV infected adolescents is important since schools constitute an important developmental context for this age group [11]. A recent study from Rwanda noted that attending a boarding school (where almost 45 % of HIV infected adolescents in their sample were studying) was one of the major barriers to medical adherence [10]
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